Friday, August 23, 2013

Like every other densely populated old cities of the country, Kolkata has its own share of haunted places. Old buildings and heritage sites that has been in this city for a while and has haunted past, are scattered all over. Some people say its all made up, some believe them from the core of their hearts while some try to find rationality among the widely spread stories.

The National Library – Alipur

This one is probably the most famous of all the haunted spots in the city. There are a few stories around this complex probably due to the mammoth size of the building or the huge piece of land this building acquires. Out of these stories, two are the most famous versions that are listed here. In early nineties, the British Government had ordered a renovation of the old block and construction of a new complex. It was during this renovation that as many as twelve labours lost their lives in an accident at the site. It is said that even to this day, the spirits of those workers lurks inside the new complex during the darker hours. In another version of the story, it is believed that during the same period there was an English grad student of a reputed college of the city who visited the Library in search of study material. He met with an accident and died at the gates of the library after one such visit of his to this great building. During his last days at the library, he was studying some letters of the Victorian era which was stacked in an obscure corner of the main library building. It is believed that the spirit of this young Bengali student visits the library during odd hours to complete his research paper. Some of the people who have noticed such paranormal existence would testify with the details of how they have seen letters all scattered on the desks when the library gates open at 10am in the morning or even how construction issues arise inside the complex and how they are miraculously solved in some moments. There are eyewitnesses who say that they have heard footsteps of former Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, who used to reside in the same building.

The Royal Calcutta Turf Club – The Race Course

This is a story of mid 1930s of a race maniac called George Williams who loved his horses more than his family and his job at the secretariat. He had as many as 5 horses, out of which his most famous and dearest was a pearl white horse called Pride. Pride was rightly named as she won a few tough races, fame and money for her master. Williams used to spend most of his time in his stable at the race course complex and mostly with his piece of pride. With age, came some complications in the health of Pride and she no longer was the queen of the tracks. Her last race was the Annual Calcutta Derby where she lost the race and Williams lost a lot of fortune. She was found dead the next morning on the tracks with bullet injuries. Though the sources close to Williams and the RCTC had reportedly admitted that she was killed as per the traditions of killing a horse when she is aged and not well, there is another version which states that Williams, in a drunken state, had killed the horse out of sheer frustration. Even as the entire Turf racing fraternity mourned the loss of such a beauty on the tracks, the spirit of Pride is still believed to be seen on the green patch during late nights of Saturdays. Some witnesses have said that they have seen a patch of white fog gushing past the tracks giving an impression of Pride. Mystery or myth, Pride remains alive in the stories of her existence, even as today’s Kolkata remembers her as the “William shaheb er shada Ghoda”

South Park Street Cemetery – Park Street

Perhaps every Kolkata guy has experienced the night life of Park Street. A few, however, has experienced the late night life there. The primitive name of this famous residential cum office area is Burial Road, primarily because of the existence of South Park Street Cemetery. Many of us confuse this old address with the Mullick Bazaar Cemetery. But still this old burial place, built in 1767, remains in the shadows of the new age High rise buildings and flashy lights. The entry to this place gives you an eerie experience right from the big iron gates to the marble stone studded lanes that take you through the rows of graves bearing British names. Stories of other-worldly figures lingering inside the campus, has been doing rounds for many years. No specific person could be identified as the spirit. Sources and eyewitnesses confirm white fog of humanly figure has been spotted regularly at the grounds, in the early mornings and late evenings. People residing in the adjacent buildings prefer to keep their cemetery-faced windows closed most of the time.

Rabindra Sarovar Metro Station – Mudiali

The other name in which The Kolkata Metro is famous is “Paradise of Suicide”. It is a commonly known death trap with 4000 Volts of current running in the famed third line (a third rail that runs parallel to the tracks and is a little elevated on de-conductors and is usually covered with a wooden plank). Shockingly, around 70% of all people who have lost their lives in the tracks of Metro have committed suicide at Rabindra Sarovar Metro Station. There are stories of how people, travelling to the station in the last metro which reaches the station at around 10:30pm, found some eerie images of figures vanishing in a fraction of second. There are even rumours of shadows moving on the platform on late evenings.

The Writers’ Building – BBD Bag

One of the most famous haunted locations of Kolkata is this corridor of power. The 1706 building has been the seat of the government of West Bengal from the Independence. Many ghost stories revolve around this famous old building where the Chief Minister himself sits daily. Allegedly, the fifth block of the Writers’ Building have been haunted since the famous revolutionaries Binay-Badal-Dinesh had shot Captain Simpsons within the confines of his room. It is this East India Company loyalist who is believed to be still present inside the building. Many senior officers and clerks who work inside this mammoth red brick building have reportedly said that they have felt paranormal existence at this Dalhouise address. Many street vendors, who sits near the building, have testified for having heard of footsteps in the building after sunset. Unusually, the office closes at 7pm, yet, all employees are asked to leave the premises and it is left for the security officers to take charge and guard the safety of the building.

The Kolkata Dock – Khidderpur

The entire dock area was once owned by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah who had come to reside here after his kingdom was taken over by the Queens’ Men. It is believed that till this day the spirit of this war-lost king had been visiting the area. There are many employees who at some point have worked inside the dock area and have witnessed spirits as mists floating. The dock management has however refuted such allegations strongly over the media.

3 comments:

It's a haunted place considered by my friend Vivekananda Ghosh and me during our trip to Gour with yosemite tour from san francisco ... when my friend just go up on the stairs of the locked door of the minar and took up his camera to look inside the closed doors he saw a woman walking inside the same... he suddenly ran down at me and was in very much panic... and he said "brother.... It's haunted and I saw a lady inside walking inside the closed door more than 3 times I saw her man.." then after returning back to the place where we stayed there.. he fell asleep at the evening and again saw the lady in his dream who was repeatedly asking him to shoot his photograph as he came far from kolkata.

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Nice post as well as horrify. The interesting array of places to visit in Kolkata makes the epithet 'The City of Joy' all the more meaningful and help you discover the joy of various Kolkata places. Keep writing :)